'24 TN WR Amari Jefferson (Tennessee)

[NighthawkVol]

agreed. and yeah, i think the mid state is well beyond Memphis these days. i think it just kinda sucks that the mid state's boom coincided with arguably the worse era of Tennessee football.

can't do anything about that though....get the best you can get from where you can get them. period.

Honestly, though, UT has still landed the majority of its big time midstate targets during that period. Think about who has come out of the midstate during our down period: Hurd, Barnett, Jennings, Bituli, Malone, Kyle Phillips, Key Lawrence, Alontae Taylor…all chose UT. Yes, we lost a few like Briningstool and Patterson choosing Clemson and Barion Brown (who we backed off of), but really, our biggest instate losses during that time were Higgins and Rodgers in East TN.

If we did that well in the midstate while we sucked, imagine how well we can do going forward now that we’re back!

 

[Vol since 77]

Dude, I wasn’t pouncing on you. I was just responding that Deion told him to keep playing both as long as he could at that level.

I would say if Jefferson really does want to play both, then his decision is an easy one. UT baseball is on another level than the other two.

 

[jakez4ut]

Honestly, though, UT has still landed the majority of its big time midstate targets during that period. Think about who has come out of the midstate during our down period: Hurd, Barnett, Jennings, Bituli, Malone, Kyle Phillips, Key Lawrence, Alontae Taylor…all chose UT. Yes, we lost a few like Briningstool and Patterson choosing Clemson and Barion Brown (who we backed off of), but really, our biggest instate losses during that time were Higgins and Rodgers in East TN.

If we did that well in the midstate while we sucked, imagine how well we can do going forward now that we’re back!

exactly. and we've had a few come home that went elsewhere too, like Turrentine and Mays.

i'm definitely not painting a gloom/doom, i, like you and a few others, see it for what it is. the reverse works out too...go back and look at this past class and look at the state ranks of some of hte out of state players we got......more than a couple top 3 players from their respective states.

anyway, you and i are on the same page.

 

[DaddyChad]

I would say if Jefferson really does want to play both, then his decision is an easy one. UT baseball is on another level than the other two.

Bama would force the baseball team to take him if necessary. No idea how good he is at baseball but I can’t see Tennessee promising him anything as far as baseball. Again no idea how good a baseball player he is, just saying this could conceivably work against us.

 

[volsagain]

Bama would force the baseball team to take him if necessary. No idea how good he is at baseball but I can’t see Tennessee promising him anything as far as baseball. Again no idea how good a baseball player he is, just saying this could conceivably work against us.

He's committed to UT for baseball. He's good at both.

 

[JacketVol]

Bama would force the baseball team to take him if necessary. No idea how good he is at baseball but I can’t see Tennessee promising him anything as far as baseball. Again no idea how good a baseball player he is, just saying this could conceivably work against us.

He plays travel with East Cobb ranked 2nd in the country. He’s real good. That’s why he was a committed to Tony. It wasn’t just to help football.

 

[EezyE]

He plays travel with East Cobb ranked 2nd in the country. He’s real good. That’s why he was a committed to Tony. It wasn’t just to help football.

Correct…he committed to Vitello a good while back. He’d probably been committed to Vitello a year and a half or more prior to receiving an offer from Heupel.

 

[TrippieRedd]

He plays travel with East Cobb ranked 2nd in the country. He’s real good. That’s why he was a committed to Tony. It wasn’t just to help football.

Man I remember playing against the East Cobb Astros, they had a kid steal 2nd, 3rd, and home on us…..in 3 consecutive pitches

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Such outdated thinking.

Some kids do still look to the big in state school. Especially if they are winning. You will see Tennessee get more than it‘a fair share of the better players in the state in the coming years. Sure recruiting nationally is still a very important requirement but there is nothing wrong with getting the good instate players that want to play at UT. I really can’t understand why anyone would be against that. GBO!

 

[bignewt]

Some kids do still look to the big in state school. Especially if they are winning. You will see Tennessee get more than it‘a fair share of the better players in the state in the coming years. Sure recruiting nationally is still a very important requirement but there is nothing wrong with getting the good instate players that want to play at UT. I really can’t understand why anyone would be against that. GBO!

Open your mind, man.

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Such outdated thinking.

According to who? You?

 

[BigOrangeTrain]

Open your mind, man.

Why is so outlandish to think some kids still like the idea of playing for the instate school? Also, why do you think, despite what AP and others have said, that an instate kid like Jefferson is not that important? How do you know he isn’t an important recruit?

 

[SweetasSoda]

Some kids do still look to the big in state school. Especially if they are winning. You will see Tennessee get more than it‘a fair share of the better players in the state in the coming years. Sure recruiting nationally is still a very important requirement but there is nothing wrong with getting the good instate players that want to play at UT. I really can’t understand why anyone would be against that. GBO!

I don’t think anyone is against getting players in state. I love getting the Jennings! My point was there is no reason to evaluate a whole recruiting as a failure because of not getting players from in state. It’s more important how good the players you get are than where they are from.

 

[bignewt]

Why is so outlandish to think some kids still like the idea of playing for the instate school? Also, why do you think, despite what AP and others have said, that an instate kid like Jefferson is not that important? How do you know he isn’t an important recruit?

First, unrustle your jimmies. Second, I'm simply stating that it matters not where a recruit is from but rather how good he can be. That can be my blanket statement whenever in-staters freak out when a "kid gets away."

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

I don’t think anyone is against getting players in state. I love getting the Jennings! My point was there is no reason to evaluate a whole recruiting as a failure because of not getting players from in state. It’s more important how good the players you get are than where they are from.

I agree I have never said that. I was replying to newt, who was implying that no kids cared about playing for their state school. I simply said that is not always the case. I don’t have a mandate on where our players come from. Common sense just says it we are winning we will get our share of instate players we are after. Of course we are a national brand and will always recruit nationally, you have to if you’re going to compete in the sec. GBO

 

[Woodlawn VOL]

Open your mind, man.

It is MAN!

 

[BreatheUT]

Honestly, though, UT has still landed the majority of its big time midstate targets during that period. Think about who has come out of the midstate during our down period: Hurd, Barnett, Jennings, Bituli, Malone, Kyle Phillips, Key Lawrence, Alontae Taylor…all chose UT. Yes, we lost a few like Briningstool and Patterson choosing Clemson and Barion Brown (who we backed off of), but really, our biggest instate losses during that time were Higgins and Rodgers in East TN.

If we did that well in the midstate while we sucked, imagine how well we can do going forward now that we’re back!

We've lost a lot more than Briningstool and Patterson over the last 15 years.

 

[BreatheUT]

I think this one is more important than the ranking. Georgia and Bama both want him. We need to start winning these battles especially for in state kids. I think Heupel makes a hard push to close him out this weekend. Just want to point out again, Clemson was this way when Dabo started there. They were in the thick of recruiting battles for the big time recruits but finished second a lot then after a couple of cycles they started landing kids. I think Heupel needs one more successful year to kind of show to some that he’s not a one year wonder of a HC.

Clemson turned the corner when they got Deshaun Watson. Until then they were a 8-4/9-3 program.

 

[SweetasSoda]

I agree I have never said that. I was replying to newt, who was implying that no kids cared about playing for their state school. I simply said that is not always the case. I don’t have a mandate on where our players come from. Common sense just says it we are winning we will get our share of instate players we are after. Of course we are a national brand and will always recruit nationally, you have to if you’re going to compete in the sec. GBO

Sorry been reading fast trying to catch up and thought you were referring to what I said.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

Jefferson's decision kinda worries me............just saying....

Don’t let it. WR is the position I’m least worried about with this staff/offense.

Get Staley and Matthews and possibly Wingo. Continue to supplement through the portal. Two consecutive years we landed stud receivers (Bru/Thornton). It will continue.

I’m worried about OT/DL/CB/LB etc. WR is icing on the cake.

 

[cherokeeeVOL]

That’s true…. Sucks to lose both he and Higgins bc of his incompetence.

Butch was an odd guy. He told Higgins that “you made my body go numb” when he committed early on before eventually signing with Clemson. Who says that, especially to a high school kid lol?

 

[NighthawkVol]

We've lost a lot more than Briningstool and Patterson over the last 15 years.

I didn’t say that was an exhaustive list. But we’ve landed a lot more than we’ve missed of the top guys in Middle Tn. Considering that was done during the worst decade in school history, that bodes well for future recruiting there.

 

[Adam Sandler]

Honestly, though, UT has still landed the majority of its big time midstate targets during that period. Think about who has come out of the midstate during our down period: Hurd, Barnett, Jennings, Bituli, Malone, Kyle Phillips, Key Lawrence, Alontae Taylor…all chose UT. Yes, we lost a few like Briningstool and Patterson choosing Clemson and Barion Brown (who we backed off of), but really, our biggest instate losses during that time were Higgins and Rodgers in East TN.

If we did that well in the midstate while we sucked, imagine how well we can do going forward now that we’re back!

Marlon Brown and the lb that went to lsu come to mind. Who knows if brown would have fared better here than uga.

There’s been some big misses for sure but agree that we get most of them and if we are indeed back we’ll start getting our pick just like uga and bama do in their respective states.

 

[NighthawkVol]

Marlon Brown and the lb that went to lsu come to mind. Who knows if brown would have fared better here than uga.

There’s been some big misses for sure but agree that we get most of them and if we are indeed back we’ll start getting our pick just like uga and bama do in their respective states.

Brown was from Memphis. LSU got Jacoby Stevens (who UT did recruit, but was a transplant from Louisiana) and another one who UT stupidly did not recruit. Forget his name. Same for the aTm LB UT passed on from East Nashville.

Van Jefferson is another one we missed, although he wasn’t a true Midstate kid, just moved there when his dad got the Titans WR job.

 

[Adam Sandler]

Brown was from Memphis. LSU got Jacoby Stevens (who UT did recruit, but was a transplant from Louisiana) and another one who UT stupidly did not recruit. Forget his name. Same for the aTm LB UT passed on from East Nashville.

Van Jefferson is another one we missed, although he wasn’t a true Midstate kid, just moved there when his dad got the Titans WR job.

You’re right on Marlon brown. Better memory than I. Must be all that reefer I been ripping from unblessed bongs. @Thunder Good-Oil

Think his name was something hunter? Had to be butch era. Nvm, fact checked myself and it was Justin Maclin in 2010 who I was thinking of, who was actually another from memphis. There was jacob phillips in same year as Steven’s who also went lsu, but we didn’t really recruit him. Believe notre dame got a couple types like this too.

The fact that we have to piece together the ones we missed versus the ones we know we hit on supports your and my view. And the misses across the state will drop as our momentum builds.